Since I’ve been locked up in this place, I haven’t seen the sunlight. We only have the light from the ceiling lamps, which NEVER turn off. We literally don’t know if it’s day or night, or what time it is. At first, it was hard to get used to sleeping like this, but you just cover your head with some clothes, and if you’re lucky, you can fall asleep.

Food is delivered twice a day. It’s always the same: rice, beans, and a bit of goat cheese. They don’t feed us meat.

We always have to return our dishes clean, or we won’t get our next meal, and we must wash them in the same water meant for our daily consumption. I know it sounds harsh, but you get used to it.

In my free time, I exercise in the yard. At first, it was tough because the other prisoners’ stares were very hostile, and I was always on alert for an attack. However, after what I did to Danan, the other inmates keep their distance.

The only one who talks to me is my cellmate, Yuruba, a half-breed between a human and a demon. “Hey, Yuruba, I’m intrigued by your tattoos; they look similar to ones I saw on people from Cuencas.”

Yuruba, with a smile, says, “Have you been to Cuencas? My mom told me her father was born in the agricultural country of Khisphe. I want to visit, but I’ve never had the chance, and locked up here, I doubt I ever will. My old cellmate was from Khisphe. He gave me these tattoos based on the stories my mom told me about my homeland. Basically, I’ve tattooed my family’s history.”

I look him in the eyes and say, “If I could take you to Cuencas, would you agree to serve me for the rest of your life?” I was being serious, but Yuruba, with a face that clearly showed he thought it was a joke, replied, “I’d gladly be your slave if you got me out of this cage.” Laughing, we continued playing cards in our cell. Three weeks passed like that, during which I had no news from my companions.

…

One day, while training in the yard, I noticed some prisoners fighting using martial arts. Although it looked more like training than an actual fight. They were only using physical strength since the use of mana from our bodies is restricted in this prison.

On the roof, alongside the guards, there is a large crystal that absorbs mana, leaving the prisoners at the mercy of the guards, who have an artifact in their uniforms that allows them to bypass this mana restriction.

Because of this, prisoners don’t mess with the guards, but the guards don’t care if the prisoners kill each other. Still, all these restrictions don’t affect my vitality, but I won’t abuse that advantage, or I might get into more trouble.

I wanted to train my martial arts as well, but I preferred to avoid getting too close to the other prisoners since this place is filled with people locked up for murder, kidnapping, and terrorism. Oddly enough, I was also imprisoned for those same three charges... I’d better stop thinking about that and keep training.

Interrupting my training and thoughts, a new prisoner arrived. A rumor spread in the prison that this man was a gardener for a middle-class family and was in love with his employer’s daughter. One day, when the girl was home alone, the man snuck in and tried to assault her, but the employer’s wife returned early and, while protecting her daughter, was killed by the gardener, who then fled. His boss moved heaven and earth to catch him, but the knights arrested him before his employer could find him.

I suppose it was also his ex-employer who paid the guards to spread his story among the prisoners since we can hear some of the guards’ conversations from down here. Curiously, they narrated that story aloud.

…

While I was exercising in the middle of the yard, that same man from the rumors was thrown into our prison yard, still wearing his shackles. I guess that’s how they throw in all the prisoners; they left me with my shackles for three days.

The man had a dead stare and stood still, motionless. I suppose Danan will welcome him… but no one moved, and everyone looked at me. I guess I now have Danan’s job. I stood up, walked toward the man, placed my hand on his head, and cast: “HEAL THE MIND.”

I saw the man’s memories: he was raised in the slums of Dredprism. I guess poverty and misery are inherent to humanity, even in the empire. His entire life, this man was treated like trash, but one man gave him the chance to have a good life. That man was his employer. However, the gardener didn’t change; he merely restrained himself.

Until he saw his employer’s daughter, a young girl of 13. This man waited for his chance to assault and violate her… and when the opportunity came, he tried. But her mother arrived to save her little girl, even at the cost of her own life.

How disgusting…

…

I had seen enough. The man regained consciousness and looked at me in the face.

I said, “I know you’ve had a hard life, but that doesn’t excuse your sins.” Even after healing his mind, he still had a frightened look; I think his instincts warned him of my anger…

Without letting him speak, I began to beat him with all my strength. I could hear his flesh tearing and his bones breaking, but I made sure not to damage his organs.

When I felt I might kill him, I healed him and kept hitting him…

I made sure to take my time. I didn’t just want to break his body; I wanted to shatter his mind and soul.

I didn’t notice when it happened, but all the prisoners had gathered around us while I was beating that man, forming a crowd to witness my cruel display.

By the end, my apron was dyed red. When I finished, I said to the prisoners, “I’m done. Now it’s up to you. I don’t care if you kill him or save him; it’s in your hands.”

I returned to my cell without looking back. I took off my clothes and cleaned the blood. I left them out to dry and went to sleep.

…

The next day, I saw no trace of that man. I don’t know if he’s still alive, and I don’t care. However, when I went to exercise, I no longer felt hostile stares. It was as if they had accepted me as a member of this infamous club.

One of the prisoners, who had been training in martial arts, approached me and said, “Hey, glasses, want to train with me?” I guess they call me glasses now. I don’t care.

“Sure, I’d like that. I was hoping to fight you anyway,” I replied.

The man’s fighting style was mixed martial arts, using techniques from various disciplines. His focus was clearly on killing, as he always aimed for my most vulnerable spots.

It was very different from fighting Chizze. She only focused on testing my strength but never truly wanted to harm me. This man, on the other hand, would kill me if he could. I guess it’s not bad to train like this every now and then.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

…

After a day of training, I went to my cell to sleep. My cellmate, Yuruba, saw me lying on my bed and said, “You’re good at fighting, but you lack focus in your attacks. It’s almost like you only concentrate on landing a hit and then backing away. Is your touch really that deadly?”

Wow, this guy is very observant. “Hey, Yuruba, want to test my hits yourself?” I replied. Yuruba accepted my challenge.

The next day, he stepped out of our cell. I think it was the first time I’d seen him outside since I was detained. The other prisoners looked at him with fear. I don’t blame them; the fact that Yuruba is a half-demon man is terrifying.

We stood in the middle of the yard and began trading blows. Yuruba’s strikes were painful, though he wasn’t trying to kill me. He was just toying with me.

I see that Yuruba is very powerful. How could they capture someone so strong? I was fighting with everything I had, but since I couldn’t use my degenerative magic in this training, he had a clear advantage.

The fight ended with a great victory for Yuruba. “Ester, I think you’re stronger than you showed in this fight. You held back, but not with your physical strength. You have another kind of strength, and I’m scared just imagining what you’re capable of,” he said to me.

I replied, “Don’t talk nonsense, Yuruba. You were the one holding back.”

We shook hands while all the prisoners watched us.

…

…

…

During all the time I’ve been locked up in this underground prison, life hasn’t stopped for my companions.

After receiving the response to Raiza’s letter, Richard met with them. Richard went to the general’s mansion, where Raiza’s entire team was gathered in the dining room, enjoying breakfast prepared by Seres. Richard agreed to have breakfast with his sister and her friends.

“Miss Raiza, I have the answer to the letter you sent to Ester,” Richard said as he handed over the letter. Raiza took it and read it aloud.

“Raiza, I’m fine. I can handle this month in prison. Just get information on a prisoner named Yuruba. Also, tell Chizze and Yoko to stay calm. We’ll be together again soon.”

Raiza commented, “I guess that guy will be fine.” Chizze looked uneasy, but Yoko took her hand to calm her.

Richard brought over some documents for Chizze and Yoko and said, “Ladies, I brought the papers for you to enroll in the military academy. You’ll start tomorrow. I would like to accompany you, but I’ll be taking a week’s vacation, so you’ll have to manage on your own.”

Chizze put on her most serious face and exclaimed, “Chizze is strong, very strong! Chizze will be the strongest at the military academy.”

Yoko hugged Chizze and added, “Don’t worry, prince and brother of Kharla. I’ll make sure she doesn’t get into trouble. Just don’t overdo it with the dryad; every woman wants a bit of affection, but it has to be at her own pace.” At the last words, Yoko winked at the prince, and Richard could only look at her with a flushed face.

Kharla was laughing at her brother’s innocence, which only made him feel more embarrassed. Then Raiza took the opportunity to give the prince a warning: “I know Kharla trusts the cleric and you, your Majesty, but I’ll still prepare my plan B to rescue Ester. I hope you keep that in mind.” Richard nodded and asked Raiza for patience, assuring her that he would get Ester out of the underground prison safely.

The next day, Chizze and Yoko were ready for their first day of classes. They mounted one of the horses and set off for the military academy, but before they could go, they had to pass through a pedestrian toll for horses.

Yoko understood the customs of the capital, but Chizze wasn’t familiar with them. So, she asked Yoko about the money she had paid to the pedestrian guard.

“Look, Chizze, horses poop while walking through the city. In a small town, that poop can be used as fertilizer or burned for various uses, but in a big city with many horses, those uses are quickly used up, and the rest turns into smelly trash. The money is to keep the streets clean and get rid of the leftover poop.”

Chizze didn’t know many things about the capital, so Yoko became her guide and caretaker, making sure to look after her.

Once they entered the academy, they found themselves in a physical training class. Both stood by the instructor, facing the other students. They introduced themselves with their real names.

The instructor addressed the students loudly: “Guys, welcome Chizze and Yoko. Both are recommended by Prince Richard, and Miss Yoko is the sister-in-law of Lieutenant Brikrats, one of the best graduates of this academy. Please be polite to them.”

Both women felt welcomed, although the training wouldn’t be easy.

The two had entered an advanced class in the middle of the semester, literally in the classroom with the strongest students, at the prince’s request. To assess their level, the instructor organized a team combat.

In one corner of the ring were Chizze and Yoko. In the other, the best students of the class: a support mage named Demian Morrison and his partner, the heavy-armored soldier Marian Meredith.

image [https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/082/375/581/large/duval-saul-imagen-2024-11-28-093852939.jpg?1732804733]

Demian was a man with blue hair, a disturbed look that he hid behind a pair of glasses. On the other hand, Marian had pink-blonde hair, was of short stature, and her armor emitted a terrifying aura, especially due to the strange skull decorating the left side of her helmet.

When the fight began, Yoko and Marian attacked each other, as they were both the tanks of their teams. With Marian occupied, Chizze took the opportunity to attack Demian.

The mage seemed defenseless without his partner’s protection. Chizze unsheathed her claws and, with a single move, made a deep cut on his chest. A lot of blood spilled out, leaving a large scar, but in that instant, Demian cast a gust of wind that gave Chizze several cuts.

The most surprising thing for both of them was that Demian’s wound healed immediately, and all the damage transferred to Marian.

Marian screamed in pain, but still managed to push Yoko back with the weight of her armor. The damage she received increased her strength.

The beastwoman said to her teammate: “Listen, Yoko, even though this is a practice fight, beating them won’t be easy.”

Yoko replied: “I understand, Chizze, but don’t kill them, or we won’t be able to study at the academy.”

Demian, with an arrogant expression, said: “Wow, the new girls are pretty strong. I think we should take this more seriously, Marian.”

The mage conjured a wind tornado and created an air armor that enveloped Marian.

Marian charged at Chizze. The strike didn’t have much force, but the wind aura surrounding Marian badly hurt Chizze, causing more cuts on her body.

Seeing this, Yoko used her own body to protect Chizze. Yoko took a lot of damage, but was able to resist the attacks thanks to the orcish strength she inherited from her mother.

Chizze focused her strength on her legs and began to spin around the ring. She knew that any damage she dealt to Demian would strengthen Marian, but if she attacked Marian, she could end up more hurt. So, she used her speed to outmaneuver Demian.

Demian was somewhat frightened by Chizze’s incredible speed. “What are you planning, beastwoman? You know you can’t hurt me.”

Suddenly, he saw Chizze crouching at knee height, and she responded: “I know. Chizze isn’t going to kill you, just incapacitate you.”

Without giving him time to react, Chizze kicked him, sending him flying upwards. It wasn’t a painful attack, but it got him away from Marian. Chizze suspected the wind armor had a limited range, and she was right. Demian was sent so high that the air armor spell deactivated.

Taking advantage of this, Yoko and Chizze launched a coordinated attack against Marian, hitting her in the head and knocking her out. This won them the fight.

The classmates and the instructor were astonished by the strength of the new students, especially when Demian fell from the sky, and Chizze caught him, making sure he was safe. She literally had Demian in her arms like a princess from a fairy tale.

Once in her arms, Chizze smiled at Demian and said: “Chizze is sorry for sending you flying.”

Demian looked at Chizze from a completely different perspective. He had never seen a woman like that before: strong, wild, and feminine. That day, something changed within him.

Meanwhile, Yoko went to check on Marian, who was unconscious but fine. She was just sleeping.

The healing mages of the academy arrived to heal the fighters’ wounds. Chizze was the most affected, as she had lost a lot of blood. Because of this, they allowed her to rest for the rest of the day. Both had proven to be as strong as the other students, so they were welcomed to the academy. However, they had to leave early that day so Chizze could recover.

Yoko took Chizze on horseback to the general's mansion. "It was a really fun day, beastwoman. I realize that since I met you, I’ve become a lot stronger. Thank you, Chizze."

Exhausted, Chizze hugged Yoko tightly to avoid falling off the horse. "Chizze also loves Yoko a lot. Chizze will always be the first wife of the master, but she’s happy that Yoko is part of our family."

That day, the bond between Chizze and Yoko grew even stronger.

While Yoko and Chizze attended the military academy, Raiza and Kharla conducted their research on the underground prison. They wanted to ensure that, if Darwin’s plans failed, they would have enough information to forcibly rescue Ester... if necessary, of course.